Woodbridge Schools Investigate 'Moldy, Rotten' Kids' Lunch Issues

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The first day back to school in Woodbridge was Sept. 2 and ever since then, parents have been viciously complaining on social media that their children's lunch is inedible.

"My daughter cannot even eat this food," wrote one Woodbridge mom on Facebook this week. "It is inedible. The food is partially frozen inside."

Woodbridge parents say the pre-packaged meals their kids are being served is moldy, rotten and even "green." Another parent reported their child was served rotten milk that was solidifying in the container.

More than 1,180 Woodbridge parents have signed this Change.org petition, blasting the free food and calling for the school district to abandon its contract with Chartwells 12K Food Service, which provides the meals. Even a school custodian signed the petition, saying he feels bad for the kids, and when he sees the food they have been served "it disgusts me."

Woodbridge superintendent Dr. Joseph Massimino said Friday he is "greatly disappointed" in the food as a new school year begins.

He also said his administration immediately contacted Chartwells and Chartwells is investigating what went wrong in their food service delivery. Chartwells is one of the largest vendors that provides breakfast and lunches to public schools across America. According to this report, they sent a letter to Michigan schools this September, warning them they were encountering supply-chain problems.

"The school district administration and the Board of Education are greatly disappointed in Chartwells’ performance to begin the school year," Massimino told Patch. "Once the district was informed of the concerns, the administration immediately reached out to the management at Chartwells to investigate and discuss. Our administration has maintained an open dialogue regarding our expectations and the accountability of our vendors. We look forward to hearing the findings from Chartwells’ inquiry as well as their corrective action plan as soon as possible."

The problems emerged when all New Jersey school students return full time to the classroom after COVID. The return brought two big changes: All breakfasts and lunches are now free, for all kids, and most schools are no longer serving "hot" lunches. Lunches have been changed to be "grab and go," pre-packaged food that children can eat individually, by themselves, to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

"Many school districts are choosing the cold options as it saves them time at the serving point," said Jeff Wolfe, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, which actually oversees how food is distributed in NJ schools (not the Department of Education). "There are CDC distancing restrictions in the cafeterias due to COVID-19, which have resulted in less students in the cafeteria per lunch period. That has resulted in the increase of shorter lunch periods."

The meals are free — the state Department of Education decided to continue offering free lunch/breakfasts to all schoolchildren, not just those who qualify financially, as some elected officials said many New Jersey families are still struggling to recover from the pandemic — but parents say it is inedible and will make their kids sick.

"The food is frozen, soggy or moldy," read the Woodbridge parents' petition.

"My son would rather starve," said one signer. "Bring back hot lunch!"

"One day my kids brought home a milk. When opened, it was smelling so bad and was turning into semi solid and looking ugly," said another parent who signed the petition.

Another mom reported "green hot dogs" and even another said her son had to run to the nurse's office and was then sent home for diarrhea and vomiting after eating the food.

"It’s a serious matter. Children can end up in the EMERGENCY ROOM for being served this type of food. Change is needed ASAP," wrote one Woodbridge mom.

A spokesperson for Chartwells12K told News 12 this week: "We recognize there have been a few instances where we didn't meet the expectations of all of our students and families and have carefully investigated each situation. There's nothing we take more seriously than the health and safety of our students."

However, in 2014, the food Chartwells served in a Connecticut school district was also reported to have mold, human hair, dangerously undercooked meats and even insects, according to this Washington Post report.

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